How Small Business Owners Can Step Away Without Everything Falling Apart
This week, the flu flattened me.
Calls were cancelled, deadlines shuffled, and my desk was swapped for the couch. My comfort? Endless cups of tea and my beautiful dog who was clearly confused. He’s so used to sitting next to me at my desk while I work, but this time he was curled up beside me next to the couch, keeping me company as I rested.
And yet, in between sips of tea and naps under the doona, the small business owner guilt crept in.
Because as small business owners, we carry this unspoken philosophy: if I’m not in the business, pushing it, driving it forward every single day… then I’m failing it.
We tell ourselves that every missed email, every postponed call, every quiet day means we’re slipping behind. That if we stop pushing, everything will stop.
But here’s the truth I had to face this week: that way of thinking is a trap. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not true.
Monday hit hard, runny nose, pounding head, fuzzy brain. I had to step back and trust the people I collaborate with and the clients I work for. And you know what? They understood. Because at the end of the day, we’re all human. We’re not robots. We all get sick. We all need to pause.
By Wednesday, I was back on the phones (croaky voice), slowly stepping in again. And instead of shame or panic, I felt something else: gratitude. Gratitude for supportive clients who understood, for the work colleagues who stepped in, and for the reminder that I don’t have to carry everything on my own.
Because here’s the bigger picture: if your business can’t run without you, even for a few days, it’s not a business, it’s a dependency. And building something that fragile is the surest way to burn out.
So here’s what I’ve been reflecting on (and what I’d love you to take away too):
Nominate your stand-in: Even for a week, who can keep things ticking if you can’t? A VA, a team member, a trusted colleague?
Get it out of your head: If everything lives in your brain ie. passwords, processes, “the way we do things” it’s a risk. Write it down. Record it. Share it.
Document the essentials: Not a corporate manual, just the basics: how to invoice, how to handle a client query, how to post on socials. Enough that someone else could step in tomorrow.
The biggest reminder I’m taking from this week is that your business doesn’t need you pushing every second to thrive. Stepping back isn’t weakness, it’s part of building something sustainable. With the right people around you, supportive clients you partner with, and colleagues who check in, you can pause without guilt. Because we’re not meant to run on empty, we’re meant to create businesses that stand strong even when we need to rest. And maybe that’s the real measure of success: not how hard you push every day, but how well your business holds when you step away.
